The Life That We've Chosen
by lynn2424
Summary: The next generation of Bohemians are here, and through some odd twists of fate they reunite the characters that we all know and love of RENT. Basically one of those, ‘what if they all had kids...’ fics, with some little twists.
1. Chapter 1

Here's my first Rent fic. This was just a random idea, which I know has been done before, but this is my little spin on it.. So, enjoy. And review please!

**Disclaimer: **The only thing Rent-related that I own are tickets to see Rent on Broadway. And the CD's of course. I wouldn't need to be buying tickets if I owned Rent. Obviously. Callie, Rachel, and Sarah are all mine though!

"Callie. Callie! CALLIE!" A girl with wild, curly brunette hair sprinted out the doors of her high school, dragging a girl who looked simply terrified behind her. She was yelling after her friend, who was already in the middle of the school parking lot.

"Third time this week that you've forgotten about me Davis," The brunette said as she caught up to her friend, Callie. Callie smirked and shot back,

"You know Rachel, you ever think that I'm choosing to forget about you?" Rachel acted offended and replied "Real nice Davis, real nice..." as she laughed.

"Anyways Rach, unless you haven't noticed, you get a ride home with me every single day of the entire school year, and I always park my truck in the same exact place. I honestly thought you would've caught on by now, but I suppose I'll have to draw you a map since you can't find it without following me there." Callie said, laughing, while Rachel acted mad, and then jokingly said,

"Oh come on Davis, have you forgotten who you're talking to- Rachel Johnson, the girl who still gets lost in Alphabet City- of course I need a map!"

"Wow, I forgot about that one. You're totally right." Callie said as she threw her backpack into the bed of her truck. Callie finally noticed the terrified-looking girl that Rachel had been dragging along for some while now, and raised an eyebrow at Rachel.

"And this would be.." Callie questioned.

Rachel turned around quickly and said, "Oh yeah, forgot about you, sorry." Rachel said sheepishly.

"And they call _me_ blond," Callie said, laughing.

"Heh. Yeah, Callie, new girl here-sorry, what's your name? I've forgotten it already." Rachel and Callie looked glanced over at the girl. The blond-haired, blue eyed, glasses wearingteen definaltey stuck out as the "new girl" at school, and she looked extremely lost.

"Er-um-Sarah. Sarah Cohen." The girl said quietly.

"Yeah-" Rachel continued on. "Sarah Cohen here missed her bus, and she only lives like five minutes from us. We're doing our good deed for the day by giving her a ride."

"Oh alright, cool." Callie smiled at the girl. "By the way, I'm Callie Davis. Nice to meet you."

"You too," the girl replied quietly.

The three of them piled into Callie's truck and Rachel, as usual, was the first one to strike up a conversation.

"Soooo, Sarah did you just move here or what?" Rachel questioned.

"Umm, no I used to go to a private school, but I just transferred here about two weeks ago. I've lived here since I was, like, five." Sarah said.

"I think I've seen you around," said Callie. "Hmm, wait, are you working on the tech crew for the play?"

"Yeah, yeah, I am. I've always had a knack for that kind of stuff." Sarah felt herself opening up to the two other girls already, and hoped desperately that maybe she could be friends with them. She hadn't met too many people since she transferred schools. It was only by chance that Rachel had seen her miss the bus and Rachel was insistent that she was going to give her a ride.

"Yeah, I thought so," Callie said. "Me and my 'band'- don't laugh Rach! One day, people are going to know who we are, and you'll come up and be all, ' I know them!' And I can deny I ever knew you before we hit it big. Stop laughing Rach! Anyways, we're doing the music for the play, and of course, Rachel, being you're certified drama queen is going to be center stage, as always."

"I am so not a drama queen!" Rachel shot back.

"Yeah, whatever you say Rach..." Callie said with a little wink at Sarah. "Turn right here, Callie," Sarah said. Rachel continued on.

"Well, look who's talking, Ms.-I-worship-my-Fender!" Rachel teased.

"Ha, yeah, and proud of it!" Callie laughed. "Yeah, with the three of us working on it, I'm sure the play is going to be amaz- What the hell!" Callie yelled as the girls were sent flying forwards and violently jerked back in their seaats suddenly. It took them all a few dazed seconds to figure out what had happened.

"Oh my God, I think that guy totally like, rear ended us!" Rachel said, rubbing the back of her neck.

"No shit Sherlock,"Callie said, a bit dazed. "You alright guys?"

"Yeah..." Rachel and Sarah said simultaneously.

"Oooh Callie, nice gash you got there on your forehead." Rachel said, glancing over at her friend.

"Not to rain on your parade Johnson, but take a look in the mirror," Callie said, feeling her forehead.

Callie was right- both girls had matching large gashes on their foreheads from hitting the front of the truck.

"Hold on a sec...that guy totally just...disappeared." Rachel said, as she looked out the back window.

"Shit...what do we do now?" Callie rested her forehead on the steering wheel, trying to gather her thoughts.

"You alright Cal?" Rachel asked, concerned.

"Oh, yeah, never better!" Callie said, annoyed at the situation she found herself in. " Well at least you guys are alright...but if my brand new truck is smashed up, I swear to God..." Callie said, as she let herself out of the truck, Sarah and Rachel following. The sight that greeted them wasn't the best they'd ever laid eyes upon.

"Grrrreat..."Callie said.

"It could've been worse, you know..." Rachel said, as she surveyed the truck. The back end was smashed in, but the truck was far from being totaled.

"I know..." Callie said, as she bent down and looked at the damage. "My mom's totally going to shit a brick though..."

"Oh, no she won't. It's not like it was your fault or anything." Rachel said.

"Not over the truck, over _us_! She'll have a freaking heart attack. You know how much of a control freak she's been over me-us, actually- lately!" Callie leaned against her truck and tried to clear her head.

"Er-well-um...well as soon as she finds out we're okay, she'll calm down, I'm sure..." Rachel said, but Callie was right, her mom would be extremely worried about the girls- too worried.

Sarah finally spoke up.

"Well, uh, my house is like two streets away so if you think you can drive Callie, we can go there and figure out what to do. Call the police, I guess..." Sarah suggested.

"Yeah...yeah I'm alright drivng, my heads not too bad..." Callie said, as the three girls got into the truck. "So, umm, did any of you guys see the car that hit us?" Callie asked.

"Nope," Rachel replied. "I was too busy insulting you." Rachel said jokingly.

"I did." Sarah said. "I was looking out the rear view mirror. Idiot was talking on his cell-typical. He totally didn't see us stopped at the light at all. Definaltey a Range Rover. Guy was black, that's all I noticed."

"Wow, at least someone was paying attention..." Rachel said.

"Yeah, really!" excalimed Callie. "Well that's a start. Okay, so like we were stopped at the red light. And the guy was talking on his cell, didn't see us, and just didn't stop in time. When he realized he hit us, he just took off. I'm surprised his car wasn't like totally ruined though."

"Yup, that's what I pieced together," Sarah said.

"Yeah..." Rachel said, who it seemed was still partly dazed. She started to rub her forehead.

"My house is on the left, it's that blue one right there." Sarah told Callie. Callie pulled into the drive way, and immeaditly ran to the back of her truck again and looked at the damage.

"My baby..is...ruined..." Callie said. "Least it's not totaled...Just got it...like a month ago...for my birthday..." Callie told Sarah in mourning, as they walked up to the front porch. Rachel slowly followed them up the steps.

"You alright, Rach?" Callie said, noticing Rachel, who looked up at her and responded,

"Oh, yeah...headache..." Rachel replied, still rubbing her forehead.

"Yeah, really, me too..." Callie said. Sarah, it seemed was the only one who hadn't been hurt during the crash. Sarah opened the door and let the three of them inside.

"Dad! I'm home!" Sarah called. "Kitchen's right through here..." she said, leading them through the living room.

"Nice house," Callie complimented. It really was a nice house, two stories, and stylishly decorated.

"Phones right there..umm, Rachel sit down, you don't look too good. Callie, you should probably call your parents...and I guess we should file a police report... my dad would know...Dad! DAD!" Sarah yelled. A man in his early forty's with short blond hair and glasses suddenly appeared in the kitchen.

"God Sarah, where's the fire?" The man said jokingly, then spotting Callie and Rachel, "Whoa, you two okay? What happened Sarah?" Sarah looked at her two new friends.

"Er-well, I missed the bus, and uh, they- Callie and Rachel-" she said, motioning to the two of them. "- were nice enough to give me a ride home, and we were sitting at the light and some asshole-"

"Language, Sarah!

"Dad, I'm in tenth grade- some ASSHOLE plowed right into us and rear ended us. We're all okay, I suppose. But, like...do we file a police report or something? Or..."

"Well, what, you three just took off after this? What happened to the guy who hit you?" Sarah's dad asked, confused.

"Quite the opposite, Mr..." Callie said, trying to remember Sarah's last name.

"Cohen." Sarah's dad said to Callie.

"Mr. Cohen, yeah, totally the opposite," Callie said.

"This guy just took off I guess dad," continued Sarah. "I mean by the time we got our heads together, he was gone. I did see him through the rear view mirror, so we sort of have a description, so maybe the police could catch him, but I didn't get a license plate or anything..." Mr. Cohen laughed at his daughter.

"Okay, okay Sarah, hold on. We can go play detective later..." he said, laughing. "And you two," he said, looking at the other two girls, "should call your parents first and tell them what happened."

"Oh boy, here comes the frantic Spanish..." Callie said, as she went over to the phone.

"Huh?" Sarah asked, confused.

"My mom." Callie said simply. "She's going to freak out, and when she freaks out, she starts rambling crazily in Spanish."

"Oh. Right." Sarah said politely

"Hey, I didn't say it wasn't weird." Callie said, as she dialed her number. "Please, let it be dad...then we can avoid the Spanish... Hey mom..." Callie said, as she heard her moms voice on the phone.

"Er- yeah I know I should be home by now. But, like, okay don't freak out-...no, I'm not dead mom. One of my friends needed a ride home, and she lives like 5 minutes from us. So, like, we're sitting at the red light, right? And some guy totally rear ends us-" Callie took the phone away from her ear and held it away.

"Yup. It's the Spanish." Callie said. Callie put the phone to her ear again and tried to calm her mom down.

"Mom. Mom. Mom. MOM! WE'RE FINE! Stop. The. Spanish. I'm fine! Totally fine. The trucks not though...Yeah I know you're not worried about the truck...umm, Rach, and my new friend Sarah...yeah...I'm at Sarah's house now...yeah her dad's here...no, mom, there's no drugs in the house..." Sarah rolled her eyes and shook her head. Her mom was too much sometimes. "...okay...no, I can get home, the truck isn't that bad...okay...love you too...calm down mom. I'm fine! You don't have to pick me up. I'm fine!" Callie set the phone down. "Well that wasn't too bad..." she joked.

"Those gashes look bad though," Mr. Cohen said, Callie's forehead. "And, are you okay?" he asked Rachel, who was sitting at the table, holding her head in her hands.

"Yeah..I'll just...call my mom now..." Rachel said, getting up. She started to cross the room, and suddenly, and without warning, collapsed onto the kitchen floor. Mr. Cohen was nearest, and caught Rachel before she hit the floor.

"Shit, Sarah, call 911!" Mr. Cohen yelled. Sarah ran to the phone, while Callie ran over to her friend, who was now unconscious.

Soooo...should I continue? Please review. I'll love you forever! Hope you liked it. Honestly, I don't know where this story is going, so PLEASE if you have any ideas or suggestions or things you'd like me to write in just let me know! (hint, hint review!) Their will be tons more familiar characters in the next chapter...


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2-**

**Disclaimer:** Only own Callie, Rachel, and Sarah. They're mine, all mine!

**AN:** Wow, thanks to all my reviewers! All of you seriously make my day. Not to mention, you inspire me to write! This chapter is a little different, I wanted to write it from Callie's point of view, since I'm of course bringing in "the parents" a little more, and was thinking this was the best way to do it! This chapter will hopefully give a little more background too- I know the first chapter was a little sporadic, but hopefully this one makes a bit more sense. Enjoy-and of course, review! Your reviews definaltey make me update faster (hint, hint, lol).

**Callie's POV**

To me, Maureen Johnson- since the time I was born- was always 'Mo' to me. There was really nothing formal about our relationship- but then again, there was nothing really all that formal about Maureen Johnson. I could say the exact same thing I suppose about my parents though, too. If Rachel randomly walked up to my mom and requested a glass of water from 'Mrs. Davis', my mom would either think Rachel had gone crazy, or was on drugs. Either or.

As soon as Sarah called 911 and told us that they were on their way, I rushed over and called Mo. By now, Rachel was conscious again, but unfortunately not making too much sense. She was still extremely dazed, but she did remember everything that had happened, which I was thankful for. Rachel already had memory problems to begin with, but a Rachel with amnesia probably would have been too much for me to handle today. Thanking God silently, I quickly dialed Mo's number, hoping she would pick up.

She did, and I hurriedly told her what happened. There wasn't any Spanish, but Mo was plenty concerned. Despite being wild, spontaneous, rabble-rousing, and just all around sporadic, Mo made a pretty good mother. My parents were understandably concerned about Mo's parenting skills when she had gotten pregnant after a random one night stand with someone who's name is still unknown to us. This apparently happened after Mo had gotten mad at her then-girlfriend, Joanne. They aren't together anymore, but their really good friends, and to Rachel and I, Joanne's like an aunt. Even though the concern about Mo was understandable, I never thought my parents were really ones to judge Mo and her parenting skills- they were far from being saints as well- in fact they were probably worse. But all three friends turned out to be excellent parents, and by now, had totally turned their lives around.

One thing I liked about the three of them- my mom, dad, and Mo- was that they were really honest to Rachel and I. As far as we could tell, they hadn't hidden too much from us. From the AIDS, the riots, the drugs, the exotic dancing, and simply the Bohemian lifestyle, we were pretty sure they had told us the whole truth. And Rachel and I loved them for that. The five of us, along with our 'Uncle' Collins and 'Aunt' Joanne, made a pretty tight knit family. Rachel and I had been best friends since before I could remember.

Mo was, by now, living up to her reputation of being a drama queen, and on the definite verge of having a panic attack. I tried to assure her that Rachel was fine, and that the ambulance was almost here, which only resulted in, "_Ambulance_? Their taking my baby to a _hospital_?" A panicked Mo did not help the situation, so I tried my best to tell her that we were only sending her there to be safe (which was a lie) and that she wasn't really injured (also a lie, but at least it calmed her down...). All I made out from the other end of the phone was a rushed, "I'll meet you there!", and then the line went dead. After Mo hung up on me, I called my mom again, and after what seemed like five minutes of rambled Spanish later, she assured me that she'd be at hospital as soon as she could.

I ran back into the living room and found Rachel spread out on the couch. Sarah was sitting on the floor beside her, and Mr. Cohen was pacing around the two of them, staring out the window every two seconds. I took a place beside Sarah on the floor and looked up at my best friend. She had her eyes closed, and she looked deathly pale, which made the red gash on her forehead appear even worse. Mr. Cohen walked into the kitchen and came back with a wet washcloth. He put it gently on Rachel's forehead, who only mumbled something incoherent and then went back to being silent.

I realized how seriously she could be hurt, and felt tears spring to my eyes. I was sure she would be fine eventually, but...It was scary, how everything had change in a moment. I head the distant sounds of the ambulance. Me and Sarah looked at each other and nodded, knowing that everything would probably be okay in a few moments...

"I hear them coming, they'll be here any minute...Callie you called her mom?" Mr. Cohen asked.

"Yeah...she kinda freaked out, like I expected, but she said she'd meet us at the hospital. And I called my mom too, she's coming also."

Mr. Cohen nodded and walked over to me. He glanced at my forehead and said, "When we get there, you should probably have a doctor check that cut out. It might need stitches..."

"Yeah, you're right...It feels okay, but after what happened to Rachel, I should probably have it checked out..." my eyes drifted again to the still figure on the couch. The sirens were growing a lot louder, they were probably coming down the street by now. I started thinking about the hospital...

I hated hospitals. Absolutely detested them. I guess this sort of thing happens when both your parents are HIV positive. I could see the dread in my parents eyes every time they went to the hospital. I could tell they were terrified. Each visit brought more bad news. The hospital was the source of all this bad news. And a hospital would be the place where both of my parents would eventually die, slowly and painfully, and all I will be able to do is watch.

I've dealt with this reality for quite a while now, and I try to shove it away every time it surfaces. And every time it does surface, it gets worse. It was the inevitable, and it was only getting nearer with each passing day. My parent's honesty does ease the situation at times. I'm glad they've told me the truth, instead of hiding it and then one day in the near future saying, "Oh, by the way, we both have AIDS and we'll be dead in a month." I much preferred it this way. But it's a tremendous burden- a burden some days I honestly don't think I can handle.

So- the hospital. I really don't want to walk through those doors. But as the ambulance arrives, and I see them put Rachel on the stretcher and drive away with her, while Mr. Cohen follows with Sarah and I in his car, I feel guilty, and selfish, for even thinking of not wanting to go to the hospital and be with my best friend when she needed me most.

The drive to the hospital seemed to take forever, and was driven pretty much in total silence. Every minute or two, Sarah would nervously glance over at me to see if I was okay. I finally gave her a little smile, which finally seemed to calm her down a bit. It was odd, but I found myself thinking about how Rachel and I had only met Sarah about an hour ago, and how it felt like I had known her for quite awhile. I guess the three of us had just clicked, there wasn't really another explanation for it.

It only really took about ten minutes to get to the hospital. Rachel had already been taken into the emergency room, and Mr. Cohen led me and Sarah to the waiting room. It was a tense atmosphere, and I started nervously glancing around fearfully. The dreaded hospital...Mr. Cohen must've noticed, because he gave me a smile and said, "'Fraid of doctors or something?", in a half-joking voice, probably with the intention of trying to get me and Sarah to relax a little.

I smiled back at him and said, "Yeah, something like that..." I spotted a nearby water fountain and jumped up to get a drink. I was halfway there when Mo came sprinting in through the doors and crashed right into me.

"Callie! Oh God Callie, where's my Rachel? Is she okay? Where is she? What happened? Where is she?"

"Mo, calm down-" But before I could get anything else out, Mr. Cohen's voice interrupted me.

"Maureen...?"

Sarah, who had followed her dadover, and Igave each other odd glances, and at the same time blurted out, "Er-You two know each other?"

Review! And please don't hurt me for the cliffy...I know the story is moving slowly, but I wanted to give some background this chapter...There'll be Roger and Mimi in the next chapter (yay!), and hopefully I can start calling Mark Mark, because calling him 'Mr. Cohen' is starting to creep me out. Anyways, hope are enjoying it so far...


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**Disclaimer: **Once again, Callie, Rachel, and Sarah are mine. Obviously everyone else dosen't belong to me, or else I wouldn't be sitting here writing fanfiction...

Once again, thanks to my reviewers. I really want to give individual responses, but I wanted to get this chapter up fast, so...I'm really happy you guys like the story this much! More questions are answered in this chapter, and there'll be more familiar characters (I know, I keep promising that, lol)...I hope this chapter turned out okay, I wrote it during my Geometry and Chemistry class, ha. I think I really liked how it turned out so hopefully you guys will too! Decided to write it once again from Callie's POV. Review please!

**Chapter 3**

**Callie's POV**

Maureen whipped around at the sound of Mark's voice and looked at him in total shock.

"_Mark_..? Oh my God!"she squealed, ran over to him, and took him by complete surprise with a huge hug that almost made him lose his balance. Me and Sarah just stood there, in total confusion.

"What are you _doing_ here?" she said with a huge smile, though still in complete shock. Mark looked equally lost.

"Er-um- Sarah-" he nodded towards his daughter, "Sarah's my daughter. She was in the car during the accident, they were giving her a ride home..."

"Oh. Wow. _Wow_. God, what are the odds? It's been _so_ long." she said, standing close to him.

"Yeah, yeah, it has been..." he said, rubbing the back of his neck and sounding uncomfortable.

"We've all been wondering where you've been, you know. Everyone was really worried about you... " she said, a bit quieter now, and she put a hand on his shoulder gently.

"Well, you know. I- er-uh- I mean-I've been fine..." he seemed to be totally lost for words, and backed off a little at her touch.

"Oh...well... you're here now! You have _got _to see Roger and Meems and Jo and Collins, we're still all really close!"

"Oh, really?" he said, still sounding very uncomfortable.

"Yeah...and I suppose you've already met Callie here. And Rachel I suppose."

Mark finally seemed to get his head together a little. "So wait, why are you here again?" He seemed totally confused.

"Oh! Callie didn't tell you? I'm Rachel's mom!" Mark's face lit up in total surprise.

"Oh. Wow. I didn't even know you had a daughter..." he said.

"Yeah, well, I guess I didn't know you had one either!" Mo exclaimed, still with a smile a mile wide plastered on her face.

"Ha, yeah I suppose you're right..." he seemed to be relaxing a little more. Mo finally turned to me.

"Callie, I suppose you don't really know who this is, do you?"

"Um...no, can't say that I do Mo." I said, still completely and utterly confused as to how the two knew each other.

"This is Mark! You know, you've heard about him from your parents!" It finally dawned on me as to who she was talking about, and how they knew each other. Of course! _Mark!_

"Oh- _you're_ Mark! _The _Mark! The camera Mark? The room-mate Mark? The _Maureen_ Mark!" I exclaimed, recalling everything my parents had told me about him. Mark gave a nervous laugh, and Mo exclaimed,

"Yeah! See, I knew you would remember who he was. And Mark, I'm sure you've seen by now how Callie completely takes after her parents..." Mo said, with a chuckle, and I laughed along with her.

"Er-" Mark said, again looking lost. I jumped in quickly.

"Oh, Mo, he doesn't know yet." I said.

"Know what?"Mark asked nervously, glancing at Mo and I.

"You don't know? He doesn't know!" Mo exclaimed dramatically. "Oh...well of course you didn't know, silly! This is Callie. Callie Davis to be exact. You know, Roger and Meems daughter!" I saw his jaw drop, and a grin spread on his face.

"Wow...I knew you looked familiar..." It was true. Asmany peoplehad told me over and over again, I was the perfect combination of my parents looks. My mom's eyes, my dad's hair, I looked completely like each one of them. Rachel kept telling me, 'Callie, we both know for a fact that you are the most attractive girl in the whole school. If you just acted a little more like a whore, you'd have the boys crawling all over you!' but the truth was that I already had the boys crawling over me, though sometimes it was a tad annoying, because I just wasn't that type of 'preppy' girl. Not that I didn't mind seeing the boys drool all over me from time to time... It really made me laugh to see my dad get all defensive over me when a guy looked at me...

Sarah's voice finally interrupted our conversation. "Ummm...could someone please tell me what is going on...?" We all laughed, realizing how lost Sarah must be, and proceeded to tell her how our parents all knew each other. It was definaltey a long story.

Afterwards, Sarah and I decided to give Mark and Mo some time to catch up, so we quickly made the excuse that we had to go to the bathroom and rushed off.

"This day- God, it's been weird." I said to Sarah, who nodded and replied, "Fuckin' _weird_." We both started laughing and Sarah was was just about to say something else, when out of the blue she stopped dead in her tracks, whipped around, and shot what must've been her death glare in the direction of the reception area.

"Yeah...and it's about to get a_ lot_ weirder." she said.

"Umm, Sarah, what're you staring-" but before I could finish, Sarah grabbed me by the arm and dragged me into the bathroom. We weren't even inside yet when she turnedaround and exclaimed,

"That's the guy! That's the guy, I swear! And I know him too! He must've gotten hurt in the crash too, 'cause he had this huge cut on his face, kinda like you and Rachel, I swear that's him! If only I could remember his name, I've seen him before-"

It was my turn to cut the rambling Sarah off this time. "Whoa, hold on Sarah, what guy?" Sarah then proceeded to once again drag me out of the bathroom. She quickly scanned around the room, and must've found who she was looking for, because the death glare returned.

"Okay, see that guy over there...that's the guy who hit us. And I know him! At least, I've seen him a few times before, at our house. I think he's an old friend of my dads..."

"Who! Point him out!" I didn't know which guy she was talking about, but Sarah inconspicuously pointedto aman who was filling out papers at one of the receptionist desks.

"Oh-ok-wait-_that_ guy?

Sarah continued on "I know his name, too, I know I do, I just can't remember it...Bill...or Bobby or-"

"Benny!" I half exclaimed, half growled. I knew who Benny was, all right. It was one of the advantages of having extremely truthful parents. I grabbed Sarah and started pulling her towards the waiting room. I didn't even know what to say, because my mind was trying to comprehend too much information at once. I started sputtering off random sentence fragments

"Your dad. Call cops. Now! Don't let. Get away!" I think Sarah actually made out most of it. I finally was able to make a sensible sentence- sort of.

"Your dad has to call the cops-uh oh. Dad! Benny! Shit. Great! Fuck. " Return of the sentence fragments. I suddenly thought of what would happen if my dad even saw Benny again. My dad and Benny- together in the same room- could only lead to bad things- very, very bad things.

"What's wrong-" Sarah started to ask, but she suddenly realized that we wouldn't be able to tell Mark about Benny, because it turned out he was busy. Very busy. Very busy kissing Mo.

Sarah and I glanced at each other, then both made a dive under a nearby gurney. I wasn't even sure what to think, but I looked over at Sarah, and to my surprise, she had her hand over her mouth, trying to suppress her wild giggles. Of course, I started laughing too, but I was throughly confused. What about Sarah's mom?

"Well, it looks like _they_ caught up _really_ fast, huh?" Sarah exclaimed, laughing.

"Uh, yeah, I totally wasn't expecting_ that_!" We both continued laughing, but my curiosity got the best of me.

"Er-Sarah-umm- what about your- your mom?"

"My mom?" she asked, with her head tilted to one side, and sounding as if she'd never even heard the word before. "Oh, my mom! Yeah. My mom's...well in my opinion, my mom's a whore," she said, surprisingly sounding..upbeat? I was totally confused. "She walked out on my dad when I was like, two. Bitch never wanted me. But whatever." She said, and she only continued her giggling.

"Oh...umm..I'm sorry..." I said awkwardly. I couldn't just keep my damn mouth shut for one moment!

"Oh don't be! she said, smiling. "I'm glad she's gone. My dad and I are totally better off without her!" she said, trying to reassure me that I hadn't tread on 'forbidden territory' of the Cohen family. "Which is why I'm so happy to see he's finally...umm moved on.." she said, still giggling, and I joined in.

"Hold up though," she suddenly said. "What were you saying before, about _your_ dad?"

"Oh, uh _my_ dad..." and now I was the one laughing. "My dad and Benny, they- er- well, lets just say they don't get a long that well. If my dad comes in here, and even sees him, he'll kick his ass so quick-"

"Whose ass do you need me kick Callie?" A voice drifted down to us from somewhere above the gurney, and in surprise, Sarah and I jumped straight up. We both succeeded in banging our heads on the top of the gurney, and came up looking dazed. My dad was standing there, smiling and shaking his head at me.

"Daddy! Perfect timing. You scared the shit out me though!" O yeah. I was totally the definition of a 'daddy's little girl', and wasn't afraid to admit it. Yep, I was one of those girls in high school who still went around calling their fathers 'daddy'.

"No Callie, you scared the shit outta _me,_" my dad said seriously. "Your mom just called me, and she's completely hysterical. I had to put up with the Spanish, Cal, the Spanish! You know it's bad when you get the Spanish. She got stuck in traffic, she'll be here soon. All I made out from her was 'the hospital' so I'm here. I caught something about you guys being in a car accident? And Rachel's hurt? And look at you! What happened?" he said, gently running his hand over my forehead.

That was my dad. The now rock-star who had completely turned his life around, just for my mom and I. His long light brown (now unbleached) hair looked just like my own, and their was no denying the relation. Yep. Definaltey daddy's little girl. And I held the 'honor' of being the only other person in the world who he trusted with his beloved Fender guitar.

I decided to tell him about the accident...and Benny...

"I'm fine, I think. Yeah, we were in this hit and run basically. We got rear ended, and the guy took off. Rachel seemed fine, but we both got identical cuts from hitting the front of the truck. A little while later, she fainted, so now we're here. We haven't heard anything yet about her. But, dad..." I said, not exactly knowing how to phrase the whole Benny situation.

"The guy who hit us, well uh, Sarah here, she caught a glimpse of who it was. And uh, we just saw the guy, he's here...and uh...don't freak daddy, please, don't freak out. It's, uh..."

"Who is it, Callie?" he asked gently.

"Er- it- uh- it was- it was Benny!" I said, throwing my hands up in the air. I had to get that out, but I knew now that there would be hell to pay. Not that Benny didn't deserve a good ass kicking right about now. And I had a feeling that would be exactly what he'd be getting- my daddy would make sure of that.

I had waaaay too much fun writing this chapter, haha. A side note, if you like Benny's character, then...oh well. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate Benny or anything really, it's just that he's a fun scapegoat to use, lol. And it will be o-so-much-fun having Roger kick someone's ass. Who ever said writing wasn't fun...?


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I wish I owned Rent... Fanfiction is mocking me...lol.

Wow, Chapter 4! I never thought there would even be a chapter 4! And, it's all because of my amazing reviewers! Thank you all! So, yeah, sorry this chapter was delayed, but, final exams have finally arrived, and I have a slight suspicion I won't get a passing grade on my english exam by rambling on about Puccini's La Boheme, so I decided to actually study... though we are in our drama unit...Oh well. That's also why this chapter is shorter than the others, I haven't had much time, but, again, oh well! Hopefully the next update will be quicker. Enjoy!

And, if you think my old little story line is getting kind of old, it takes a little bit of a turn at the end of this chapter...I do believe this story is about to get a lot better.

**Chapter 4**

My dads reaction to Benny was exactly the same as mine had been.

"Wha- Benny? Are..are you sure?"

"Completely sure," Sarah and I answered together.

"Wait, I thought you said the guy who hit you took off- how'd you see him well enough to know it was him...?" I could tell my dad was on the verge of sprinting off to find Benny and make him wish he'd never been born, but he was covering his own ass first and making sure we did in fact have the right person.

"He did take off," Sarah explained, "but I just happened to be looking in the rear view mirror right before he crashed into us. I saw him, and I could tell what car he was driving, a Range Rover, and-"

That seemed to be all the convincing my dad needed, knowing exactly what kind of car Benny drove. He whipped around and angrily scanned the room. "Where the hell is that fucking sellout...? I swear, when I get my hands on him, I'll..."

Sarah and I shot a glance at each other. I smirked and mumbled to Sarah, "Told you they didn't get along too well.."

"Damn right me and that scum don't get along..." came my dad's response. Sarah and I had been on the verge of laughing, and at that, we finally cracked. Really, the situation wasn't all that funny- at least, it wasn't for Benny. Suddenly, we all spotted Benny at the exact same time- he had emerged from a crowd of people and was headed right out the door.

"Hey, Benny!" my dad called across the room. Benny turned, and peered around to spot who had called out his name. When he finally laid eyes on my dad, he looked exactly like a deer in headlights. Sarah and I looked at each other expectantly- Oh, this was about to get good. My dad cut an intimidating figure as he strolled across the hospital towards Benny, hands shoved deep in the pockets of his leather jacket, and with an evil smirk on his face.

"Nice hit and run you pulled on my girl there Benny." Benny realized exactly what my dad was talking about, and in an instant took off through the door running. But my dad was already two steps ahead of him- literally- and had already started sprinting toward him. Sarah and I followed them out of the hospital, and, as we were running, I suddenly had a flashback of the last time my dad and Benny had crossed paths. Benny had walked (or limped) away with a bloody nose and a black eye, courtesy of Roger Davis- and I had a sneaking suspicion he wouldn't get off that lucky this time.

It turned out I was right. By the time Sarah and I were out of the hospital, it seemed my dad had already thrown a few very good punches at Benny, who looked like he was about to be sick as he collapsed to the ground.

It looked like my dad had everything under control there, so Sarah and I figured we should go find hospital security. No way was Benny getting away with this one.

We ran off, found the main desk, and told them everything that was going on. By the time security got there, Sarah and I turned around to see my dad dragging Benny in. My dad didn't have a scratch on him, but this was definaltey the worst I'd seen Benny after he'd come out of a fight with my dad. And he had been in _lots_ of fights with my dad. We let my dad explain the rest to security, while Sarah and I went to find Mark and Mo and tell them what had happened. We were hoping they weren't still "busy", and it turned out they were sitting there, chatting away. Mo looked a lot happier and a lot less worried, and for that matter, so did Mark. They both looked up as we approached them.

"Where in the world have you two been?" Mo asked.

Sarah and I glanced at each other. "Welll, we tried to come back and talk to you..." Sarah said slyly. I took her lead.

"But, we saw that you two were busy and we decided to take care of things ourselves..." I said with a mischievous little smile. Mo, Sarah, and I all laughed while Mark blushed a furious shade of red, which just led to Mo kissing him on the cheek. "You know, you are_ sooo_ cute when you blush Marky!" Sarah and I started to laugh hysterically, but Mark cast us a furious glance that made us shut up quite quickly.

"Oh- the doctor just came out," Mo exclaimed "and told us Rachel's okay! She has a mild concussion, and they're keeping her here tonight just to be safe. We can see her in a little while they said."

"That's great Mo!" Sarah and I exclaimed.

"So, what have you two been up to- and what 'things' did you say you had to take care of?" Mark questioned. Mo and him looked at us curiously.

"They've been busy kicking Benny's ass, that's what."

My dad had suddenly appeared behind Sarah and I.. I glanced apprehensively between Mark and my dad, who were staring intently at each other. There seemed to be a tension between the two of them that I couldn't really identify. This was one of the things my parent's had more or less left me in the dark about- how Mark, who my dad had always talked about like he was a brother, had just disappeared. I didn't know whether my dad was at fault, or if Mark was at fault, or, for that matter, if anyone was at fault for his leaving. All I knew was that something big had happened that made Mark suddenly flee from his friends, and it seemed as if this was the first time they had seen him since...well, since before I was born. Mark and my dad continued to glance at one another.

"So." it was Mark who finally broke the silence. "You going to come over here and say hi or just stand there like the idiot I know you are?"he said jokingly to my dad. A huge grin spread across my dads face and I don't believe I've ever seen him look more relieved in his life. The two of them crossed the room quickly and met each other in a brotherly embrace.

"God, Mark, it's good to see you." my dad said in a strained voice.

"You have no idea Roger. You look good." Mark said.

"Ha, yeah, a lot better than the last time you saw me..." My dad answered, his eyes falling to the ground.

"Is there a Maureen Johnson here?" Mo had been glued to my dad and Mark's conversation, but suddenly jumped out of her chair and ran over to the doctor who had suddenly arrived.

"That would be me!" she exclaimed.

"Your daughter's stable enough for you to visit her now. She's only allowed one visitor right now, but I'm sure the rest of you can see her shortly. So if you'd come right this way Ms. Johnson..." With that, the doctor started walking off, and Mo quickly followed him.

"Tell her we all said hi Mo!" I said to Mo's retreating figure, and she glanced back around, smiled, and assured me she would do just that.

"You know what Sarah, I definaltey think it's time for another visit to the bathroom..." I said, seeing that my dad and Mark had a lot of catching up to do.

"But, I don't have to- Oh! Yeah! Bathroom! Right!" It had taken Sarah a second to figure out what I was hinting at. I realized that I had noticed throughout the day that Sarah would remind me of Rachel when she had her little 'blond moments'. I pondered this for a second, but then heard Sarah continuing to try and cover her mistake up. "We'll just be in the bathroom then!" she said, totally giving us away. "Come _on,_ Sarah!" I said, as I began dragging her by now, while my dad and Mark laughed at us. We were about halfway across the room when Sarah stopped and looked out the hospital door. I turned to see what she was looking at, and, there was Benny, sitting in a cop car parked right outside the door. He had this awful scowl on his face, which looked horribly bruised and swollen, but, if it was possible, he seemed to grow even more mad when he laid eyes on the two of us. And we did the one thing that we knew would piss him off even more- we started grinning like mad and waving crazily at him.

"Have a lovely time in jail Benny!" The two of us exclaimed together, laughing.

**Roger's POV**

So. Here I was. Sitting here, beside my best friend, who I hadn't seen for more than fifteen years. And I was totally lost for words. I began to think of everything I had done that had forced him to leave, and a huge wave of guilt passed over me. I had, unsuccessfully, tried to shove those thoughts away for all those years, but they always had come back. God, I had fucked up. Majorly. Well, actually, we all had fucked up. But, mainly, it had been me, I had always reasoned, that had driven him away. Me, who had forced him away from us. Me, who had driven him away from the family that he truly belonged to. No way you can leave the past behind now, I told myself. Because the past was sitting right there, staring me directly in the face.

**AN:** Ooooo...drama...lol. Sooo..was that too terrible? It seemed like it took me forever to write. Next update should be arriving shortly, I have a little of chapter 5 written already. There will finally be Mark and Roger conversation...hooray...Mimi may finally be making an appearance (maybe)...but you probably already know me well enough by now to know that it takes me forever to bring characters in. And for those of you who have asked me, I will eventually be bringing in Collins and Joanne, they will be major characters also, but, yeah, as I've just said, it will take me forever! Please please please please please review- it's the only way I'll bring myself to write more! You guys motivate me more than you'll ever know- well, actually, you probably do know if you write fanfiction here, but, that just makes it easier to review so review, please! And, I am totally open to suggestions! I kind of know where this story is going...but kind of don't...so ideas are totally welcome, and I'll more than likely use them and give credit to your genius. Thanks for reading my super long AN, haha.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** Don't own it!

Once again, I really wanted to do individual responses to the reviews, buuut...sorry if this chapter is absolute crap, my mind wouldn't let me study for my chemistry exam until I wrote it, so it's kind of rushed. But, maybe cramming tons of math facts into my brain on no sleep has inspired me to become even moodier than before, and therefore, write something thats actually worthy of reading! And, wow, this chapters actually pretty long!

This chapter might be a little confusing...maybe not..It makes sense to me, but it's my story, so I would hope it wold make sense to me...I'm really not too sure how up to par my writing skills are right now. Exams take all the joy out of life.

**Chapter 5**

Roger's POV

"So, how have you been Roger?" Mark asked.

This was the very last thing I was expecting him to say. But I for one wasn't going to avoid talking about what had happened.

"Well, I'm a lot better than the last time you saw me Mark." I was desperate to say something about what had happened- about that disaster of a day that had changed everything. I wanted to give him an explanation, an apology- something- anything. But I just couldn't find the words. And it was killing me that he was just sitting there, making this casual conversation- this would have been ten times easier had he just gone off on me, or told me to fuck off, or started accusing me of ruining his life. But there he was just sitting there, being Mark. Mark, who just took things as they came along. I should've known this is how this was how he was going to react. He must have realized what I was thinking.

"Look Roger-" but I already knew exactly what he was going to say.

"Mark, don't start saying you're sorry when you know you have nothing to be sorry for. I'm the one who screwed up, that pushed you over the edge, that made you leave because you couldn't take me and my screw ups any longer. If I had known you were going to leave like that...I could barely live with myself after you left. I'm...I'm so sorry."

I'd waited more than fifteen years to get that off my chest. I'd gone over and over and over in my head what I'd say to Mark if I ever saw him again (which I never thought would happen, until today). Of course, nothing I said was planned. It all just came out in as a huge apology dripping with guilt. Mark sat there quietly for a few moments.

"Roger, you know I've thought this over also. You weren't the only reason I left. I screwed up too, I didn't even give you a chance after-"

"Mark don't do this every time! Stop blaming yourself for everything! I need to apologize, alright?" I sat down beside him and put my head in my hands. "I'm sorry for screwing up, for making you leave like that, for driving you away like that. I'm sorry. I screwed up so bad, and don't go denying it, because I did."

"Okay Rog, I know. But just forget about it. Let's...start over, okay. I never thought we'd get the chance. So, you screwed up. Everyone screws up." I gave him a look and he got the point. "Okay, so you tend to screw up more than most." This got a good laugh out of both of us, and the situation suddenly seemed ten times lighter. "But forget about, okay? It happened. A _lot_ of shit's happened."

We sat there in a comfortable silence until a thought finally crossed my mind that I just couldn't contain.

"So, what's all this about 'Marky' being cute when he blushes?"

"You haven't seen me for more than fifteen years, and the one conversation you have to walk in on is that one?" Mark said, laughing.

"Why of course, I've always had that particular talent, you know that!"I said jokingly.

"Honestly...I don't know. Maureen, she kind of caught me off guard. Like always. It's probably her just being her random self again- the only way this is going to end up is with me being hurt, once again. But...as long as we're on the topic of Maureen...there's something I never told you before I left. It's actually one of the reasons _why_ I left."

"I was the reason you left, though." I asked, denying that anything anyone else did besides me made Mark leave.

"No Roger, you were never the reason I left. Okay, maybe some of the stupid stuff you were doing, that might've just been enough to put me over the edge. But...okay, I've got to explain why I left. I should've told you this then, I didn't think you'd believe you were the entire reason I left... The few weeks right before I left, Maureen and I...we were...uh...together again." I looked at Mark, confused.

"Hold on, Maureen was still with Joanne then, how...ohhhh...so you, what, went behind Joanne's back in the secret love affair of Maureen and Mark?" I said with a smirk.

"Ha, yeah, somehing like that. Look, I'm not proud of it. But...I don't know, I guess I was just tired of being lonely, so I sort of just went along with it. Anyways, the night before I left, Joanne found out about us, and she totally just lost it. It was bad. Really bad. So, I went from Maureen's apartment, to the loft. About an hour later, that's when you and Mimi came home..."

"Hold on, why didn't I ever hear about any of this?"

"Oh, I dunno Roger, maybe you were getting high?" I winced at this, but I knew it was true.

"You're right...definaltey deserved that one there..."

My mind drifted back to that night before Marks sudden departure. Mimi and I had been together for the last four months, ever since that fateful Christmas Eve. She was off drugs, and finally getting her life on the right track, which was good, considering she had just found out she was pregnant. It was definaltey not something we were expecting, or planning, but it happened. I had been worried about the baby having AIDS, but Mimi just kept telling me, "Oh, it'll be fine, you'll see!", so I just believed her. The night before Mark left, it had been my birthday and Mimi got the idea in her head that she wanted to take me out to this club that had just opened.

I should've known what was going to happen the moment I walked through the door. I got drunk, fast. Before I knew it, I looked over to see Mimi, and it was more than obvious that she was high. I don't remember much from that night, only having her come over to me, pull me into some back room, and shoot me up, without me even knowing what was going on. And it's all a total blur after that. By the time we got home, we were both still high, and drunk, and Mark knew the instant he saw us. Mark lost it on us, but I have no clue what he actually said to me. All I remember was getting pissed off at him, because I was starting to come off my high, and getting a hangover all at the same time. When he started yelling, something in me just went off. He got up in my face, and I vaguely remember roughly pushing him away- straight into the window of the loft. He crashed through the window, and by the grace of God, landed on the fire escape. He came crawling back in, and the sight of the blood on his face must've brought me back to some reality, because I realized what I had done, and fainted dead away.

When I finally woke up, feeling like absolute shit, there was no Mark to be found. Mimi was sitting on the couch, and she told me that he was gone, for good. I didn't believe her at first, but eventually I had to, because I never did come back. But one thing did come back- the cravings. I was addicted, once again. It was my turn to lose it. I just went off on Mimi, for doing this to me, for doing this to herself- for doing this to our _baby_. I hadn't wanted this, I hadn't even known what she was doing. But it had happened. And I never lived down the guilt that Mark had left because of me. I reasoned that, after I had come home, high, again, after promising so many times not to go near drugs again, that he just hadn't been able to handle it. Even though I hadn't asked for this addiction again, it had still happened. And Mark had had to suffer for it.

And I told Mark this, sitting there in the hospital, I told him all of it. I realized I had never explained to him what happened that night. That I'd never meant to hurt him. But now, he finally knew.

"So...Mimi finally got her act together?" Mark asked.

"You mean after you left? O yeah, she cleaned up pretty damn fast after I lost it on her. I think I actually scared her into getting clean. And it worked- she's been clean ever since. I would've left her, no regrets, had she not been pregnant. But everything was different. She didn't realize what she had done until I laid it all out for her. I don't even think she was all that serious about having Callie until I made her realize how incredibly stupid it was for her to be doing any of that stuff. I mean, she should've known better...but after she realized what she had done, she was a wreck, and she did clean her act right up. And then there was the withdrawal again...Collins helped me a lot thought that, but...it was a lot harder without you there. I never realized how much you helped me. I really needed you then...but...I don't blame you for leaving when you did." I said, and it was the honest truth. I really didn't blame him for getting the hell out of the mess I had created.

"No, see Roger, thats just it, I shouldn't have left. I should've known you hadn't just gone out and chosen to do the drugs again. I should've let you explain. I just couldn't believe it. I never even gave you a chance though..."

"No, Mark, I didn't even deserve another chance, you know it..." I said, feeling incredibly guilty.

"Roger, everyone deserves another chance. Even you. Especially you. But, what I've been trying to tell you- look at it this way. I came home, right after I realized I had been screwed over by Maureen once again, and I now had a very pissed off Joanne after me. I realized I had once again just played Maureen's little game again...and then I got home, saw you high, got shoved through the window, and thought, "okay, well obviously _I'm_ not too wanted here!" and just left and got a fresh start. So it wasn't just you. It was everything that had happened that night." Mark finished piecing the nights event's together, and I now truly understood why he left.

"Well, whatever Mark, but I still was a huge part of it- you know, the coming home high and shoving you through the window part- I'd say that's a pretty big deal."

"Forget about it Roger. It happened."

"Forgive me?" I asked, completely sincere.

"Of course. Don't I always?"

After fifteen years, it seemed like we finally had a fresh start.

AN: Want me to write more? Review! Honestly, your reviews are the only thing that motivate me to write. And, your reviews are probably the only thing thats going to get me through exams alive...

Oh, and yes, all of your suggestions will be taken into account, thanks for all of the great ideas!


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: **Don't own it!

**AN: **Special thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter. All of your reviews were amazing! But you all totally ruined the element of surprise, lol. I didn't think the whole Rachel's dad thing (since you're all dying to know, if you guessed who it was, you're totally right!) would be easy to figure out, but you guys are waaay smarter than I thought you'd be, lol. I've had that whole Rachel's dad idea since like chapter one. And, I really have noooo idea now at all where to go with this story. I didn't think I'd get this far! Oh well! Inspiration will strike soon hopefully. Your ideas always are appreciated!

Wow. It took me 6 chapters to finally bring Mimi in. Oh well, she's here now! This chapter is all Mimi, and there's also some Collins. And, I know this chapter is reeeealy short, but my brain's still recovering from finals, so this chapter may totally suck also. Guess I'll just have to see what you guys all think of it.

**Chapter 6**

**Mimi's POV**

By now, I've grown used to everyone teasing me about being one of those overprotective moms. But every time someone teases, I secretly burst with pride. I started out as probably one of the shittiest and worst mothers on the planet. When I found out I was pregnant, I was terrified. I kept thinking how senseless we had been in not using any protection. Roger and I reasonedthat we both had AIDS, so what else could happen? Well, it turned out a lot could happen. Callie happened.

Now, of course, I can't even imagine what my life would be like without my daughter. But back then, I couldn't imagine what life would be like _with_ a daughter. A daughter that could be infected with AIDS. I was terrified, and Roger was too. I was practically in denial, so whenever Roger came to me in a fit of worry, I just told him "Oh, everything will be okay! You'll see!" I kept telling him this because I was going to make it okay, I kept thinking. I had an idea lurking around in my head for quite awhile, and finally, on the night of Roger's birthday, I found my opportunity. I told him that I wanted to take him to a club, and though he wasn't too sure about it at first I finally convinced him to go.

I found the drugs quick- too quick. I would tell Roger later that it just sort of happened, that I hadn't thought about what I could be doing to the baby. But that was all a lie. The truth was, I knew exactly what I was doing- exactly what I was doing to the baby.All I thought I wanted to do wasjust wanted to get rid of it. This wasn't supposed to have happened. It wasn't supposed to be like this, I thought. I reasoned that f I could just get rid of it, then everything would go back to normal, and all my problems would be gone.

I thought the drugs would get rid of the baby. I was wrong. It never happened, and, by a miracle, I never lost the baby. The day Mark left, Roger just lost it on me, and finally put some sense into my head. It was one of those 'lightbulb' moments. After that, I couldn't believe what I had tried to do. If it hadn't been for Roger, I probably would have tried it again, and probably would have lost Callie.

After assuring me he wasn't just going to walk out on me and leave, he forced me, once again, through withdrawal. Only, it was different this time, since he knew he had to go through it also. We reasoned we couldn't go through it at the same time, and he obviously made me go through it first because of the baby. This time, it wasn't as bad as it had been other times, since I had only taken the drugs a few times, but withdrawal was never easy. After I completely recovered, it was Roger's turn. It was harder for him, since he had had to continue taking the drugs this whole time so he could help me. I was still weak from before, but Collins proved to be a life saver.

I still clearly remember how guilty I felt watching Roger suffer like that, suffering because of something I had done. I remember apologizing over and overagain to him, but he just kept assuring me that it wasn't my fault. I never believed him, but it did make me feel better, even if it wasn't true.

From that moment on, Roger and I totally pulled out lives together. Roger released some of his songs, which did extremely well. I finally quit my job at the Cat Scratch Club, and started working as a backup Broadway dancer for several shows. In a way it was selling out, but we both realized we had more to support now than just ourselves.

Callie herself was nothing short of a miracle. She was never affected by the drugs that I had taken, and she hadn't tested positive for HIV. She grew up as a pretty normal kid. Roger and I, along with Maureen, lived in a close suburb of New York. Callie and Maureen's daughter, Rachel, had been best friends since birth it seemed. Along with Maureen, we also saw Joanne and Collins often. Collins still taught, and Joanne had a law firm in New York. Joanne and Collins were like an aunt and uncle to the two girls.

I still think it's a total miracle that we had turned our lives around so much, but we sure were proud of it, and we sure were proud that we had raised Callie to be such an amazing young woman.

I sat in my car, nervously, cursing this horrendous traffic jam that I found myself currently in. I had been at work when Callie had called me, and even though I had left right away, I hadn't gotten very far. As soon as I hit the block of cars, I quickly called Roger at the recording studio and told him to meet me at the hospital. I was frantic by then, because I wasn't sure if Callie was really okay or not. By now I'd calmed down a little, but was still running horrible scenarios through by head about how Callie and Rachel could be hurt. Which definaltey was not helping this situation.

I drummed my fingers boredly on the steering wheel, and changed the radio station. I looked out the window, and started glancing at the people walking by. Almost immeaditly, I spotted a very familiar face.

I stuck my head out the window and yelled out, "Hey, Collins!" Hequickly looked over and started walking towards my car. "Mimi! I was just headed to your rehearsal- get out early today?" I motioned for him to get in the car and told him what had happened. "Well not exactly...get in and I'll explain everything!"

Want to read more? Review!


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** Don't Own

**AN:** Umm...don't hurt me! I know it's been forever since I updated! I really do have a good excuse though- Broadway trip! I'm going to New York in...13 days! I've been really busy planning, and therefore haven't been able to update until now. No, this fic has not been totally forgotten..although, I have zero ideas for where I am going with it. Writers block to the max. And it's another short chapter too, but a lot does happen...so, enjoy! (And review!)

And all the medical stuff at the end, I did research, but if it's unrealistic, oh well. Did the best I could! I'm pretty sure it's accurate though.

**Chapter 7**

**Callie's POV**

"So, like, has anyone actually thrown up on you?" Sarah and I, after we had wandered around the hospital bathroom for a good fifteen minutes, finally decided to take what would have been Rachel's advice in this situation, and go after some cute young doctor. However, the only topic that the three of us had discussed so far was the more unpleasant side of working at a hospital.

"Callie, would you stop harassing the doctors and get over here please?"My dads voice rang across the room, saving the med student from answering Sarah's question. Mark and my dad had suddenly appeared next to us, laughing. They obviously knew the first thing we would do was to hunt out any cute guy we saw within a ten block radius.

"Dad, Sarah and I are nearly...mingling...with the med students! No harassment involved, honestly!" I said, as we waved goodbye to the med student we had 'harassed'.

"Any word on Rach?" I asked my dad eagerly.

"No, not since Maureen went in to see her. She's still in the room with her, but I suppose no news is good news...God Meems, you get lost or something?" My dad said suddenly, as we all spotted my mom walking through the door.

"Really, mom!" I said laughing. She immeaditly rushed over to me and put her hands on my head.

"Callie look at your head! Roger, tell me you made her see a doctor?" My dad flashed an innocent grin at her.

"Meems, it's really not that bad-" he said in an almost convincing voice before I cut him off.

"Mom, its fine, really. I had that med student over there look at it, he said it was _fine._"

"Oh, yeah, like a med student would know!"She said angrily and grabbed me by the wrist, intending to take me to the nearest doctor and probably getting every neurological test ever invented performed on me. But before she could even start dragging me across the room, Collins had appeared, and the first thing he said made my mom stop dead in her tracks.

"Mark!" Collins yelled out. He had immeaditly spotted Mark, who my mom had failed to notice in the midst her hysterics.

"Mark?..._Mark!_" My mom spun around and a look of total surprise swept across her face when she realized just who she was looking at.

"Mark- I- er- How are you!" My mom said, searching for any words she could find.

"I'm doing great Mimi." Mark answered my mom sincerely.

"Okay, now I'm just confused...what's really going on here...?" my mom asked us. We proceeded to tell her exactly what had happened today, and I made a mental note to thank Collins later on for saving me from my overprotective mom and her neurological tests.

Suddenly, there was a flurry of activity down the hall. Mo came running towards us, and she looked hysterical. She ran straight into Marks arms, sobbing, and I felt my stomach simply plummet.

"What...what happened Maureen? What is it?" Mark asked.

"The doctors-they- they missed something! They didn't examine her throughly enough!" she finally said, trying to talk through her tears. Maureen finally took a few deep breaths and seemed to calm down a little.

"She- she was doing fine...I mean, she wasn't fine, she was...she was tired, and...drowsy... and then she suddenly got worse, and went unconscious, and then the doctors came, and-they got some other tests back finally,and they said she, she has minor brain swelling. They said it's minor, and it's under control, but...she's in the intensive care unit..." she began sobbing again and didn't get any other words out. She looked up at Mark through her sobs and cried out "Mark, I can't believe this is happening to our daughter!" We all looked at each other, confused- especially Mark, who looked down at her and said, "Wait...what..._our_ daughter?"

**AN:** As I've said before, I have some bad writers block for this story! Reviews not only make my day, but they encourage me to be more creative...or something! But they definaltey make my day. So pleeeeasee, if you read this story and like it, review! I lead a sad, review-driven life...


	8. Chapter 8

**AN:** Well I'm finally back! lol, sorry everyone, but just lost track of time. But I must tell you about my amazing week of Broadway I had in February... On.Tuesday I saw Rent in Cleveland which was beyond amazing...I was on Cloud 9 for a while there. And then Thursday I left for NYC! NYC was awesome, we even got stuck in that largest-snowfall-on-record, lol...So, yeah, I do have the worst luck on earth, and my dreams of being a ballerina (not really) were crushed...we were at the NYC Ballet, and, I'm not exactly sure what happened, but somehow I fell down the steps and totally killed my ankle, and couldn't' walk for the rest of the trip! Lol. We did see the Lion King, and when we were on our way out, I was totally about to give up on walking down the steps due to my ankle feeling like it was being beaten every step, when I looked out the window and saw...the Rent theatre! (I know it's real name, just can't spell it, haha) That made my whole trip! (We didn't see Rent, cuz it was a class trip, and since I go to a Lutheran School, they said there just wasn't some 'Lutheran' parts in it...I wonder where they got that idea from?) Lol. I also saw the FOOD EMPORIUM! That got me really excited, and left my friends wondering as to why I was taking hundreds of pictures of a building that seemingly has no tourist attraction to it at all. Anywayz..that was my wonderful NYC trip.. Enjoy the story!

**Disclaimer: **Don't own! I've said this eight times by now. Do you not see the non-ownership of Rent here? lol.

**Chapter 8**

"Well...ain't this awkward...?" Sarah hadn't been able to take the silence that had suddenly and without warning fallen upon the small group of friends, and had finally spoken up with the only thing she could think to say. It wasn't an unreasonable thing to say though, as it didn't exactly take any Sherlock to discover that it was indeed an awkward situation.

Mimi had also made up her mind, and took a step toward Maureen who had this way-too-innocent look on her face, and Mark, who simply looked like a fish out of water.

"Maybe you two should, ummm...talk this out? That sound good...?" she looked toward Mark and Maureen for a response, but it seemed like the two of them were caught in a never-ending staring contest. Mimi realized she wasn't getting an answer. "Okay, I guess that sounds good then.." and she gently grabbed the two of them by the arms and led them away across the hospital and out of sight.

Callie nervously looked over toward Sarah, wondering how she had taken the news. Sarah just glanced back at her with a smile.

"Who would've thunk it? I have a sister. Wow. I have a sister! Hey Callie what do ya know, I have a sister... a sister? That's going to take some time getting used to. But, hey, I have a sister!" Callie just smiled back amazed at how Sarah was taking the news.

"At least I know why you reminded me so much of Rachel now!" Callie exclaimed.

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A little while later the group was sprawled out in the waiting room. It was getting quite late, but Mark and Maureen still hadn't returned. Mimi had fallen asleep with her head on Roger's shoulder, and Collins was absent mindedly staring around the waiting room while Sarah was nodding in and out of sleep. And Callie...was no where to be found. Roger realized this quickly and voiced his concern to Collins. Collins merely gave Roger a smile and said, "Don't worry too much, I'm pretty sure I know where she is..." and got up in search of Callie.

It didn't take him long to find her. It turned out she was on the hospital roof. After some dodging of security personnel, Collins found himself on the roof as well.

"Hey kid, you supposed to be up here?" Collins said in a threatening, yet joking voice.

Callie jumped a mile high and spun around. "Oh, it's only you Collins...you scared the shit out me, you know that?" She was sitting on the ledge, her hair blowing in the breeze and her legs almost dangling of the edge.

"Damn right it's only me, and be glad it's only me, because, really, are you allowed to be up here Cal?" he said with a mischievous smile.

"Dunno...legal unless you get caught, right? Or unless Life-flight lands on my oversized head I guess." Callie said with a smirk. "How do you always find me up in these places anyways?"

"Easy. You're dad always wandered up to the roof when he was upset. He probably still does, I suppose."

"Oh. Well. I'm not upset though." Callie said awkwardly.

"You sure 'bout that?" Collins pried.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" Callie looked away from Collins and stared off into the skyline, and felt something inside her sort of...snap.. "I mean, besides the fact that my best friend could die. And, oh yeah, my parents- and you!- _will_ die. And I'm at the one place that I hate the most, because, hell, this is where it looks like everyone's gonna die! And I hate it! And, God, I hate myself too- I mean, here I am, crying to you about all my 'problems'- why am I so Goddamn weak? I can't even hold myself together anymore, and-" she stopped, and felt the tears streaming down her cheeks. Collins walked over to her and gently turned her around so she was facing him.

"Callie, look at me. Kid, you're not weak. Hell, you're one of the strongest people I know." Callie looked up at him andraised her eyebrows in a questioning look. "I mean it Cal. No one, and I mean no one should have to deal with the shit you're going through right now.-actually, the shit you've been going through you're entire life. And you've been so tough throughout it all. You shouldn't be able to hold you're self together, Cal. No one would expected to hold themselves together through this, not one bit. But we're still here kid- you know that, right? If you need help, don't turn to the roof Cal." This got a little smile out of her. "And, even when we're not here, you're gonna be okay, you think you're parents are gonna leave you dead broke on the streets of New York?"

"No, it's not really that though...It's...I don't know how to explain it. And if I do, I'll feel like this horrible person, and-"

"What is it Cal?" Collins asked gently.

"It's...when I think about you guys dying, it's like... I'm so upset and sad I can barely even think about it...but..at the same time, I'm almost get mad.at you guys, really mad...for, I don't know, leaving. Leaving me alone, I guess. That probably makes me like the most horrible person in the world, right? I'm mad at you because you're dying. I swear, I'm goin' to hell Collins."

"You're not going to hell Callie, and you're definaltey not a horrible person either. You're a person. That's all you are. Of course you're going to get mad, because, well it's unfair. Everyone gets mad like that. I got mad when Angel died. You're not mad at us, you're just mad and upset that it is unfair, and you don't want us to leave..."

"You sure?" Callie asked.

"I'm sure."

"You sure you're sure?"

"I'm sure I'm sure Cal," Collins said with a laugh. "Now how about you come down from this roof and hang out with us in the waiting room? You've got your dad worried about you."

"Hey, Collins...thanks. That's been bothering me for a while." Callie said.

"No problem kid. And if anything else is botherin' you, you know who to turn to. After all, your crazy uncle knows best, right?" Collins said with a laugh as they headed down toward the rest of the group.

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AN: So, I don't think this is the best chapter that I've written, but I think it's kinda cute. Hopefully the next chapter will be up soon, there'll be more Mark, Maureen, etc. with the whole kid situation, just wanted to get this part out, because I thought it was a cute idea. R & R if you want more!


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N**: Holy crap, I'M UPDATING! Hey to all my loyal fans and reviewers! I still love you all, and I feel really really bad for not updating...truth is that life got crazy, and I kind of fell out of my RENT-crazed stage, haha, so I just stopped writing for a while. I was gonna write another chap. a while ago, but never did. You can thank AnniethenNewsElf for randomly reviewing and reminding me of my long-lost story! Okay, enough already with the long AN! O yeah, and if anyone noticed, I did change my pen name. Sorry if this confused anyone! Happy summer. Haha.

**Oh, and if the characters seem OOC, sorry, I haven't had too much "Rent-exposure" in a few months! **

Also, I apologize for the randomness and oddities of this chapter! As is obvious in this chapter, I haven't written anything remotely un-school related for a looooong time. So, you are warned!

May I present the long-awaited **Chapter 9! **

**Chapter 9**

**Mimi's POV**

I was sitting at one of the most horrible events known to man-kind...Parent-teacher conferences...but for some reason, instead of the teacher walking in, it was some person, oddly enough wearing a Chiquita Bananna suit. They waltzed in, and suddenly, there was Mark in the corner, wildly filming the Bananna-man. Mark was rushing around the room in a very Mark-like fashion. Suddenly, Mo and a random doctor burst in and exclaimed, "It's Rachel! She fell out of the loft window and hurt her head!" And Mark suddenly yelled, "Actually, no, that would be ME who fell out of the window- actually, I was pushed- and thankfully I landed on the fire escape!"

And at that moment, I jolted to my senses and looked around at the hospital waiting room. Sarah was asleep in the chair across from me, and obviously I'd fallen asleep as well. Okay, weird dream, I thought.

"Chiquita Bannana Man?" I questioned myself out loud, wondering where_ that _had come from.

"Er-You okay baby?" Roger asked from the seat next to me, staring at me with this odd look on his face.

"Oh. Did I just say that out loud?" I asked, embarrassed.

"Yeah, actually, you kind of did." he said with a smirk on his face, shaking his head. "Out of all the women I could've married, I hook up with the one who dreams about a Chiquita Banana man..."

I gave him a grin, but said, "I'm just- stressed, I guess..." I said, trying to shake all of the disoriented thoughts out of my head.

"You sure you're feeling alright babe?" Roger asked me again, as I leaned onto his shoulder once again and he put his arm around me.

"Yeah...I guess, with everything going on with Rachel, I'm kind of worried...I mean, that could be Callie in there...wait, where is Callie?" I said, looking hurriedly around the room.

"Collins went off to look for her...I have a sneaking suspicion where she is though..."

"And just where would that be Roger?" I asked him, getting nervous of the thought that my daughter was somewhere missing in the hospital.

"Roof-top." he said simply.

"Oh. I should've thought of that." I said with a chuckle. "Just like you."

"Of course. She takes after me in everything she does!" Roger said with a grin on his face.

"Too bad she plays guitar better than you..." I said with a sigh, and then looked at him, laughing as I saw the faked glare on his face.

"Okay, well, I'll let that one go," he said. "considering you're probably a little confused right now since you were just dreaming about the Chiquita Banana man five seconds ago." he said with a grin.

I looked over at him with a serious expression. "Well, Roger, too bad that Chiquita Banana man is a hell of a lot sexier than you!"

"Okay, well, you know I can't let that one go..." He pulled me closer and kissed me fully on the lips. We broke apart and he asked me softly, "Are you sure you're really okay? You know I know when something's bothering you..."

"I...with everything that's happened today, I keep thinking about that day that Mark left. And-"

"Baby, we've been over this so many times...it's okay-"

"No, Roger, this is something really different. It's about that night before, you know, when I took you out on your birthday?"

"Yeah...of course I know..." he said, with a touch of dread in his voice. He obviously had no idea where this was going. He didn't _want_ to know where this was going.

"There's something I never told you...you know how I said that I just sort of "found" those drugs? That the whole night just kind of spiraled out of control before I realized what was happening?"

"Yeah..."he said slowly.

"Well...It didn't. It wasn't like that...I-I- Oh, God, It was planned, Roger- I planned to find those drugs, because I knew what it would do to Callie! I was terrified and...I didn't want to have the baby! It wasn't a mistake, and it wasn't just carelessness, I knew exactly what I was doing." I finished quietly. I looked over at Roger slowly.

For a second he looked as if I'd just slapped him in the face. His look quickly softened when he saw that I was close to breaking down into tears, which I eventually did, and he wrapped me in his arms. I had just admitted to my husband that I had _intentionally_ wanted to kill his child. Yes, this night had just gotten ten times longer.

**Mark's POV**

Maureen and I had been sitting outside of Rachel's room for the two hours, and Maureen had alternated between rambling about Rachel and crying hysterically about Rachel. I, on the other hand had remained relatively silent, with the exception of trying to comfort Maureen. I was still absorbing the information about having a second daughter. I was almost in disbelief. Maureen, it seemed, had finally gone to sleep when a doctor walked up to us. I gently shook Maureen out of her sleep.

"Ms. Johnson?" The doctor asked. Maureen stood up and asked, "How's my daughter?" in an almost demanding voice.

"Actually, she's doing quite well. Better than expected. She really needs to rest, and keep her head still. Basically, the brain is starting to get over the effects of the injury, and so the dose of the sedatives being given is cut down. It seems like she is slowly recovering consciousness. But it looks like she'll make a full recovery. You both can go in and see her, if you like, but she is sleeping now."

"Thank you!" Maureen exclaimed and threw her arms around the doctor, who slowly backed away and said, "Um...you're welcome...you can go see her now...".

Before Maureen went into Rachel's room, she turned around to look at me.

"Mark...I've been meaning to ask you something...do you think there's ever another chance of...you and I?" she looked at me hopefully.

"Maureen..." I began. I had been hurt way too many times by her. But...now that we had a daughter together...

"Marky, please, just give me another chance. Please...?"she asked once again.

"Oh, like I haven't heard that before, and like I haven't given you more than one more chance." I said, maybe a little more harshly than I meant. She began to walk toward Rachel's room, away from me.

"Maureen- wait." I walked up to her, turned her around to face me, and to my own surprise, I kissed her.

"Okay..." I said gently. "One more chance."

She smiled at me, and we walked into Rachel's room, not to see just Maureen's daughter, but to see _our_ daughter.

**Callie's POV **

Collins and I were turning the corner into the waiting room, laughing as I described how my dad had taken care of the whole 'Benny situation' a few hours before. He was finding it quite amusing.

I looked into the waiting room to see Sarah sleeping and my mom wrapped up in my dads arms. I walked a little closer and realized she was crying- no, sobbing. At first I had no idea why. My dad looked up and gave me this sorrowful look. My only thought was that Rachel must have taken a turn for the worst. I took off running, to where, I had no idea.

Umm, so I definaltey think this is like my worst chapter ever, but, I haven't written anything in like forever! And yeah, this chapter, to me at least, seems a little confusing. But oh well. So excuse the crappiness, lol. The only way you're gonna see another chapter is by reviewing! Seriously. I don't have time to write for myself, but for my loyal fans (lol)..well maybe I could manage that...lol. ReViEw! Love you all, btw!


	10. Chapter 10

I'mmm baaaccckkk! And I haven't written anything in like 20 years so excuse the crappiness. And I apologize sincerly for the wait. Is there anyone still even reading this? If you are, you're my hero. Sorry for the wait. I really am. lol.

**Important AN: Hmm...this may be..confusing? You probably want to go back and read the chapter before it. If it's really really really confusing...yell at me and I'll fix it. But I kind of like it how it is, so give it a shot. thank you much. **

**Callie's POV**

_She was the first one down. _

I keep running until I've got no where else to run, and even then I keep running, because stopping would mean giving up.

Stopping would mean concentrating on something else besides the pain in my chest and the burning in my legs.

Because stopping would mean facing reality.

Facing the inevitable of how things got so fucked up so fast.

Since I was young, I knew I'd have a breakdown sooner or later. I wondered a lot about what it would be like. Feel like. About what would be going through my head.

Well, this is it.

_She was the first to go_

Mrs. Petersons class, second grade. I thought I'd had a breakdown then, because goddamit, I coudn't learn those damn times tables. I was smart, an honor roll student, but every kid has that one thing that they can't work through their brain. I couldn't for the life of me figure out why 5 times 6 didn't equal 32.

_She was the first to have that precious thing called life taken away. _

Every few days, Rachel and I would be given this test, to see if we could multiply things fast enough. Rachel got times tables well enough. But for some reason, for me, things just seemed like they were moving too fast, and my brain just shut down. Fuck the times tables. I'd never learn them anyways.

_She was the first to die. _

Maybe I thought things were moving too fast back then because they were.

Everyone always said I'd dealt with more things that the average ice-cream eating, finger-painting kid. I never believed them.

Maybe they were right.

I thought I'd had a breakdown when I kept multiplying 5 times 6 and getting 32 in second grade. Now however, the times tables really are moving too fast. And I'll be dammed if I'm not, once again, getting 32.

I'm surrounded by all these people that are dying, slowly, everyday. My parents, my uncle, my whole family- so why is it that Rachel, the one person I know who could not be more full of life- is the first to die?

This, this right here is that breakdown I'd been fearing and wondering about.

I knew all this death would get to me eventually.

I've realized that, yes I've finally stopped. But for some reason, my brain dosen't implode like I thought it would. It just feels...numb. Like I'm thinking of too many things at once, so it's like I'm really not thinking of anything at all.

My eyes starting darting around, and the movement suddenly makes me feel nauseous. I find the nearest wall and brace against it, at the same time realizing I had no idea where I was at all.

Nothing is familiar.

Not the street signs, not the people, not the buildings.

Not even that Range Rover sitting on the corner.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't daddy's little girl..."

The knife thats suddenly pressed up to my throat definately dosen't feel all that familiar either.

But hell, maybe if things slowed down a little bit, 5 times 6 would actually equal 30. And maybe I wouldn't be standing here with Benny holding a knife to my throat.

I'm totally a review junkie...so review...pleasseeeee?


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